An Adapted Shared Storybook Reading Program Implemented in Inclusive Preschool Classrooms: An Investigation of its Use and Effectiveness

The Pathways to Literacy reading program (Lee, Mims, & Browder, 2011) has been demonstrated to be effective at increasing both engagement and comprehension during shared storybook reading for students with exceptional needs. To date, research on Pathways to Literacy has been limited to students in early elementary school rather than preschool, which is when shared reading is usually emphasized as part of the general education curriculum. In these investigations, the reading program has been administered in one-on-one instructional settings, often in special education classrooms. No existing research has examined the ability of participating students to generalize newly learned skills to novel adapted books. The current study seeks to add to the literature by investigating the use of the Pathways to Literacy reading program in inclusive preschool settings. Three questions were addressed. First, using a multiple baseline design across three students, the question of whether or not the reading program remained effective for the target student when introduced in this new setting was asked. Second, whether or not the target students were able to generalize their skills in the areas of engagement, listening comprehension, and communication was addressed via the introduction of novel adapted books. Finally, teachers’ perceptions of the reading program were explored. Of particular interest were questions related to what changes they would recommend so that the reading program can be used in this new setting. Results suggest that the Pathways to Literacy reading program was effective in increasing both engagement and listening comprehension and communication for the targeted preschool students and these skills generalized to novel adapted books. Pre- and post-intervention interviews suggest that the teachers found the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the Pathways to Literacy reading program were generally appropriate for preschool students